Today it is hosted by my friend and colleague Gilbert Licudi, the Minister for Education, our Civil Contingencies Coordinator Ivor Lopez and myself as Deputy Chief Minister and also Minister for Information.

On Tuesday and Wednesday we provided our health experts to answer questions on medical matters.

Today’s press conference is about the wider logistics and about the schools.

Ivor and I will deal with the former.

My colleague Gilbert Licudi will deal with the latter.

CM UPDATE

The Chief Minister is putting the finishing touches to the Emergency Budget which will be debated by Parliament tomorrow.

These are exceptional times.

The Government is very grateful for the support that has already been pledged by the Opposition parties to this extraordinary measure.

Yesterday, the Chief Minister, the Financial Secretary and I met with the Acting Governor and the Commander British Forces to coordinate our responses and our plans with the United Kingdom.

The UK establishment and the MOD are very much a part of Gibraltar and we will fight the coming battle together.

Indeed, the Chief Minister, yesterday afternoon, participated in a call with the leaders of the different UK Overseas Territories.

The call included Baroness Sugg, the UK OT Minister and Wendy Morton MP, the Minister for Europe.

UK Ministers made clear the unwavering determination of the UK to support the Overseas Territories at this difficult time.

The call allowed an exchange of views and plans on the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UK has commissioned the Crown Agents to procure and deliver Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and testing kits for the OTs immediately.

Both Gibraltar and Cayman suggested ways in which we could assist other territories once we had dealt with our own issues.

It should be noted that a team from Public Health England visited both Gibraltar and Cayman before the travel restrictions set in.

This work continues.

DAILY STATISTCS

In keeping with the format of these press conferences, I will now move to the daily statistics.

Last night, A & E at St Bernard’s was quiet.

Only one patient and a child attended with symptoms.

Both were sent home and it was not necessary to swab them.

There were no overnight admissions from A&E.

The data for today is as follows:

Confirmed cases: 10

Active cases: 8

Cleared of infection: 2

People tested: 124

Test results pending: 24

(The Chief Minister said yesterday that of the active cases then, three were already on the mend and three more were all going quite well at the time.)

LOGISTICS

Moving on to logistics,

we want to provide an insight into the huge operation that is already underway.

We also want to provide reassurance.

The objective is to make sure that Gibraltar is as prepared as possible to face the worst that the COVID-19 virus can throw at us.

On behalf of the Government, I want to thank everyone who has been involved in this mammoth logistical task:

our doctors, our nurses and our health workers;

the emergency services;

our public service, civil service, agencies and companies;

the hundreds of volunteers who have come forward;

the media;

our elderly, particularly those over 70;

our most vulnerable;

and indeed the general public as a whole.

The message from your Government is to follow the advice from our public health professionals.

This is to plan and prepare and not to panic.

FLIGHTS

I want to provide some information on flights as a logistics point.

Three of the four scheduled flights to Gibraltar today have been cancelled.

The reason given has been lack of demand and not issues relating to the weather or to diversions.

It is important that anyone intending to travel checks the position with their respective airlines.

ITLD AND WORK FROM HOME

Government departments are already reducing the number of employees who are required to attend the office in person.

The ITLD Department of the Government have now connected 430 VPN accounts in order to allow public servants to work from home.

The plan was that a further 150 would be connected during the course of today.

Microsoft Teams has been rolled out to over 600 users.

Initial deployment targeted Ministers, Heads of Department and senior employees.

It is now being extended to entire departments.

This will ensure that the business of Government continues under any eventuality.

The Government is very grateful to the ITLD for this important contribution to the national effort.

PUBLIC INFORMATION

I also want to say a few words about the ongoing public information campaign.

The Government, the GHA and Public Health Gibraltar have issued a huge volume of information and advice on COVID-19.

The decision was taken early on to centralise all communications through the press office.

And I want to thank everyone in the press office for their continuous hard work and commitment.

Some fifty press releases have already been issued touching on this subject from a variety of different angles.

Extensive use has been made of the Government’s social media platforms.

This press conference now is held daily.

The Chief Minister has delivered a ministerial statement and made several “live” interventions.

There have been a number of opportunities for the press and the public to question the Ministers and officials who are dealing with this crisis.

Adverts have been placed in the local media.

In addition to this, data is being provided directly to your mobiles by Gibtelecom.

Again, we are grateful for this.

I want to stress that the degree of information and interaction with the public and the press is greater than ever before.

But we are telling it as it is.

As it is told to us.

We are not hiding anything.

And we will continue in this way.

Even though some of what we say may, understandably, be uncomfortable to hear.

COVID-19 COMMAND STRUCTRE

I want to say something about the COVID-19 Command Structure.

That structure reflects the different teams who are dealing with the challenge that we face.

Ivor Lopez next to me has been instrumental in its establishment together with the Minister for Civil Contingencies Samantha Sacramento.

I want to praise the highly professional, meticulous and competent manner in which this has been put together.

You will recall that Ivor also led on Brexit Contingency planning with me over many months.

Indeed, some of that Brexit work is very useful today in dealing with the effects of the COVID pandemic.

That COVID Command Structure is headed by the Coordinating Group which includes some thirty representatives from all over the public service.

A more manageable and flexible core group of nine is drawn from here.

These are the Chief Minister, the Minister for Public Health Professor John Cortes, the Minister for Health Paul Balban, the Minister for Civil Contingencies Samantha Sacramento, the Commissioner of Police, the Director of Public Health, the Acting Medical Director, the Civil Contingencies Coordinator and myself.

A core group of nine.

There are then thirteen working groups under this.

These cover the Response Teams, Temporary Heathcare facilities, Health, Public Information Office, Media Cell, Financial matters, Public Services Strategic Group, Vulnerable Groups, Community Support Group, Logistic Support, Command Support, Business Support Group and the Youth Support Group.

This is how the top of the structure is set out.

There are then a further thirty three more sub-groups sitting under those I have just mentioned.

This provides an idea of the scale of the planning that is happening around us as we speak.

Everything that can be done, is being done.

Ivor will go through the details of what it is that each of the groups and sub-groups actually do.

VOLUNTEERS

I should point out that some of these groups are manned by volunteers.

Once again I want to thank everyone who is helping or who has offered to help.

Both individuals and businesses.

There were more than 400 people on the volunteer list within hours of the appeal being launched.

There are now over 800 volunteers.

Gibraltar continues to pull together in the face of this virus.

That determination and that resilience marks who we are as a people.

It will not be easy but we will win through in the end.

BUILDINGS AND LANDS

Part of the work on logistics has involved the use of buildings, land and structures.

The GHA and ERS have worked brilliantly to provide additional beds at St Bernard’s.

A second ICU is now in place as well as a dedicated COVID ward.

There are also a number of new facilities off site.

ROOKE – A drive-in testing facility is expected to be ready tomorrow. People will be asked to attend by invitation and will be tested in their

car.COALING ISLAND – A 300m2 marquee which was being used for storage has been vacated and rather than take it down, it has been passed on to the GHA for them to identify a relevant use.

EUROPA SPORTS HALL – A field hospital with 192 beds and with space for more.

RETREAT CENTRE – 30 beds set aside.

Ivor will again expand on some of these logistical matters.

DPC

On a separate issue, I should confirm at this stage that the Development and Planning Commission has suspended its public meetings.

This is in line with Public Health advice.

The Commission and the Town Planning Department will determine the best way to process applications going forward.

We live in exceptional times.

The Government has had to take exceptional measures.

We all need to change the way that we do things for now.

In particular, the vulnerable and those over 70.

ADVICE

Before passing on first to Minister Licudi then to Ivor Lopez I want to stress once more some of the advice.

1. Listen and act on the advice of our public health experts.

2. When you sneeze or cough, do so into a tissue and then bin it.

3. Wash your hands regularly for at least twenty seconds.

4. Do not visit anyone over 70.

5. If you are over 70 or vulnerable please stay at home.

6. If you need medical advice call 111.

7. If you have any other question call 200 41818.

Thank you.

20-03-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR